Kelera Ditaiki 
As Fiji marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, experts warned that while technology opens new opportunities for women and girls with disabilities, it also exposes them to growing risks of online abuse.
With 96 percent national connectivity, digital platforms are now vital for education, entrepreneurship, and social connection.
Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, says women with disabilities face disproportionate levels of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including harassment, bullying, and image-based abuse.
“Digital inclusion is central to social progress. The solution is not for women to withdraw, but for abusers to be stopped.”
Kiran points to recent online attacks, including harassment of a parliamentary sign language interpreter and negative comments targeting youth parliamentarians with disabilities, as examples of how digital spaces can amplify prejudice.
A 2020 survey by the Fiji Disabled Peoples Federation found that 34 percent of respondents experienced emotional abuse, with Deaf participants most affected.
Kiran emphasized that technology must remain a tool of empowerment, not exclusion.
She noted that the Fiji Online Safety Commission is reviewing legislation and protocols, supported by Fiji’s accession to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, to strengthen protections.
She also called for inclusive digital design, stronger governance, and intersectional approaches to ensure women with disabilities can participate safely and confidently online.
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